The Town of Cochrane is moving forward with the next step in the transit initiative, anticipating an alternative plan before council by April.
With a plethora of information following the recently concluded public engagement phase, administration intends to sift through all the data they have before them in an effort to come up with a handful of ‘alternative’ transit plans that they hope will address some of the concerns of Cochrane residents.
“This is simply to give council a more practical alternative option,” said John Steiner, transportation practice leader for Urban Systems. “Is there a more manageable first step?”
This third phase of the transit venture – the initial proposal being the first and the public engagement the second – is broken up into three steps, the first of which is to explore and identify what measures will translate into a successful transit system.
Such measures that will be focused upon are targeted age groups that would most desire a bus system and, perhaps the most contentious issue, cost.
The second step will consist of the development of actual substitute plans.
“We will come up with a fairly manageable number of two or three,” said Steiner, adding that to do so, they will ascertain the best short-term direction, various service models, refine what plans they develop and evaluate and compare each one.
The final step will ultimately be to pinpoint which plan best addresses the needs and desires of Cochrane residents, and present that alternative to council, placing an emphasis on ‘how’ to implement the plan, not ‘when.’
Such an undertaking cannot be complete without input from various stakeholders throughout the community.
To that end, administration will seek assistance from a variety of sources, including the public, council, staff and agencies.
One such agency is a newly formed steering committee called the Transit Working Group, which met with the town for the first time Dec. 6 to discuss what they would like to see a transit system look like in Cochrane.
The committee incorporates an array of interested parties in the community, including businesses and individual residents.
“At the end of the day,” said Steiner, “you’re trying to get a cross-section of the community as best you can.”
Kathy Dietrich, senior manager of planning and engineering for the town, said the role of the steering committee is extremely valuable, as they help to ensure the town is not missing any important factors when it comes to implementing a transit system.
Dietrich also said they have strived to include an assortment of opinions when it comes to the committee.
“We’re pleased with the responses,” she said, “and we’re pleased with the cross-section. Transit is a big deal for any community.”
“It’s always going to be a sensitive issue,” added Steiner of the introduction of a transit system into a municipality. “Transit does not make money, no matter what your population is…it’s a service.”
Dietrich said the motivation for this service is to provide this service for residents, and that such a plan will reap both social and environmental benefits.
Whatever model administration develops following this next phase of the transit project, both Dietrich and Steiner ensured that hard costs will be attached to it, and those costs will be at an ‘affordable introductory level.’
A public open house is expected sometime around the end of February, with a final plan being presented to council for consideration in April.
Monthly meetings with the steering committee is also a top priority.
